-ISTOR; Zeitschrift ir Papyologe und Epigraph, Bd, 47 (1982), pp 1-5. np: /www stor or/sable/20183589%seq=1 &ScarcheyesBscarciTex. Zeitschrif fir Papyrologie und Epigraphik Pulsed by: De, Rudolf Habelt GmbH, Hoon (Germany) ‘StableURL: http://www stor org/stable/ 2018589 Your search term(s) occur 9 time(s) inthis item. ‘View st of pages with search ‘How Writing Came About Denise Schmandt-Besserat Page of soft ‘yiga013 210MJSTOR: Zeitschrift fr Papytologie und Epigrapik, Ba. 47 (1982), pp 1-5 hips/wovw,jstor orpstable20183589?seq=1 @SeachnyestsearchiTex, ote HOW WRITING CAME ABOUT iting mokes pone for vo stor infomation, thereby erating @ *wpernteli= gence" ~ «fund of knowledge which i wall Beyond the ability of ony sng human revenber yet, ot the sone tne, is avilable to all ue, Anion i fone considered weiting © IP ofthe go. The Eaypion attributed ito Thoth, the god of slence nd ‘mop the Sebylonians to Nebo, son of Marky and the Gross to Hennes In the XX0h entry how do we thin writing came about? The ealie evidence of writing astm come Fram Mesopotamia, present dy rage During the pat 200 year, archeologis working in the region have discovered large col- lection of ancient written documents, They cos of ely tbh script The evolution of cunaifom can be traced bockwordt, though o erie of erchae ‘Hoge, o simple need sgn ond fnllycredely impressed sfgrs reaching back i ine 12 for F 3100 B.C. but never beyond. Thev inpred 0: inied sig ar the Fat krown script, They led schol to conclude that wrtig mutt hove been invented cout 3100 8,C. bythe Sumerians, who inhabited Mesopotamia atthe tne"? The fin table are puzzling In many way.”) Clay ica vary inractcal material which a buy to wodk with and requires earful dying before bang wed, Why would rch a me lum be slactd fr mn's Fat effort a wing? Furthermore the table's ar shaped ike small cthiom with strongly convex faces. Why wor hit nual shape anpoyed”? Arather ‘purzling chroctratic con be noted inthe eorliet signs made onthe tablets. While one wt in eveifom soll pleas, the sign ore, ot 2 rot sgn, more thes 1500, appr a0 many he larg numberof sign nd thee bart shops, ‘he mapiclon oe thatthe tabla of 3100 8.C, might, aftr al, reprazant an already of ‘enced stge of witng. Scholom hypothesized that the sgn cou hove developed fn ‘all pitas fo ebatoct ig ond ther repertory muliplied i erie etemps, perhaps 1) 1eJ.Gelb, A Say of Writing, The Univeniy of Chicago Pres revit eton (1974), 40:72; Devid Diringer, The Alphabet, vol, 3d ction (London 1968), pol7. 2) A. Felkenssin, Achaliche Texte out Unk. Aungebungen der Dauichen Fonchungt- geneinecho (elin 1940). wigr2013 2:10,ISTOR; Zeicceifi fr Pupyroogie und Epigrapik, Bd 47 (1982), pp. 1-4 imp//www jsor.orgstable/20183989?seq=28-SearcheyessearchTEX. ots 2 b.Sehnande-wesserar: Inseribedon wood, which would hove dsntgrated in tine end were lst orver. The lution tothe problem ted out oe different I came in on vnupected way, In 1957, A. Leo Oppenbain ofthe Unvensty of Chicago noted tha! in 1500 B.C., I prefered to lrg herd wo apreventd while writing wes cormarplace, eeeauntonts of Nox nethef Babylon, a for bookkeeping. Each animal ofthe poloce' bby counter, Thee lokens were tomfered to variou aceptcle Yo keap rock of change of shepards, or pasture whan animale ware shorn ete... Forty aight such counter were ac tually found in the excavetions of Nuzl. Thay were contained ino holow tablet which probably represented a transfer ram one ofl Yo another. On the srfoce af the hallow tablet ~ oF envelope, It written in cuneionn seript itemized 48 anal, cbvivily cor responding the 48 counter. The ist aod "21 ewes, & fenelelonbs, 6 full gown rant 4 mole lants, 6 she-gool tht have given bith, I he-got, 2 fama kde". Unloranaely, the excovaton who opened the envelope which war til Intact when excavated, di not reer the counters end thle shape ie unknown fu Oppenhein's Finding ottroctad the atention of Pere Aniet, Head Keeper of Westen ‘Asiotic Aatiuiies ofthe Lover in Pts, totes af abot fity hollow clo boll filled ith snl taken The clay alls dated 3300 B.C. ond cane fom the excavations of Sie, Iran, whee they hd been covered one filly yer erie, In 1965, Ani 4 that the Saclay envelope mat have been ceaunting device intl othe Nuzt hol= low tablet.” te finding war of great impontance for wo recson. Ft, the envelopes showed that, In Sua, recording with courte preceded writing by two hundred yeon. Se cond, the nur of he fens was revealed. They were small clay ertafci modeled Ia voriout gsometic shapes which Ai sities In 196R, | torte o study onthe ere! we of cay in the MEd Eat which led me to sstonatically vist all avilable mureu collections of coy otefacs dating 8000-5000 '3)A.Leo Oppenhsim, "An Operation Device In Masopotanian Bureaucracy", Jovtal ‘of Neor Entra Studie vol. 18 (1959), 21-128. 4) Pitre niet, "Il yo 500 ot ler Elanitesinventaient Mécriture", Acheologia vol. 12 (194),p. 20-22; Glptique Sunonne: Menoires de la dbltgoton archboloique en ron vole43, 1,2 (1972, 9.60. ‘92013 2:11PM,JSTOR: Zeist fr Ppyolgi und Epigapik, Ba. 47 (1982), pp. 1-5 hapiwwjstor opal e20183589seq-A8Search=yesQsearhiTE. 20f3 low Writing Came About 3 {C1 wat looking for iautnes, bricks ond pots | found plenty of thate bu, in eden, | wot sprite to Fado categry of eteoe's which I id not expect becoue they were né= ‘ve ducuned in publiations, They war sai of small cly tokens of vrios oometrical hope. | 08 oven more wrpited when I vealed lotr tht they were identical to the count described by Amiat although the ery okens ware never enclosed in envelopes ‘but always fund lace, Wharevar I went fem Turkey to lel nd rm Syria to Iran, the smal okans were ubiuitve I became evident thot recording with clay token wot prac tice inthe ene Middle Eat on thot the tretionerghoted at srl or 8000 8 five thewand yeon before writing wos invented.®) The identification of tokens at coun 1 wo not sping since sof sal ebecs have been used for counting in mos So- claties. What wes unxpactod wes the covery that more then 8D shape lesly etched the shapes ofthe aris vine af writing, Much wok nd retearch willbe neceory fo comprehend fully th ep tht Led rem tokens 9 writing, For the ime bing i opptor thot it happened in our mojo stage 1, 8000 8. ytem of recording i ted based on tokens, 2, 3300 3, 3300 preaed onthe surface of envelopes. 4.2100 8.C, tay tablets oppor with impreed or incied The oppcronce of tokens oround 8000 8.C. coincides with the bagionng of fod pro= ucton in South Wert Asia, Thi uggs that the new economy, bated upon ogee cond armel hstandry generated o ned for record keeping ond the tokens were developed to meet this need." Thy wore small ertefoct rorsng from 13 en, mos of Fine lay one ‘would in various shoes, The moet equenthpes ware sphere, cone, dita, epinden nd ttohedons. Ther careful manwfoclure, which included Fring, won achieved by si ‘le hand moulding either rolling thin between the palms ofthe hands r by inching them the fage Nps. Some examples bore incaed ond punched markings prenmobly made ith sick, Each oken stood foro pecie quantity oF «particular commodity and there clay envelopes hol kent of particular treaction, vol. 228, No,6(1978), 9.5059, Geman tora rom der Wissracaft (December 1978), p.5-12, 6) Dose Schnendt-Bourat, "The Emergence of Recording", American Anthropologist (otheoming). "Vom Unprng da Schl, Spee ‘u1972013 2:11 PMISTOR; Zieh ir Papyroloie und Epgrapik B, 47 (1982), pp 1-5 fup!www,jsiorongbable/20588989%se=4&SearcheyesdoearliTe, 2083 x b.Setnande~i ls evidence mppeting thatthe cone and the sphere stood for enount similar te our "pack" ‘ond “bua of arly.” The hart became commen in tha following illenis and they are fond in mes! Mid Easter echesoloaicl sts. Their number at each site may rch sizeable proportion. For of Jamo (Ian), village doing about 4500 B.C. yield 1159 sphere, 296 dics, ond 105 cons.) Ding the four thowtard year which fellow ther invention, ‘he thers ovdence Ile change In shpe, sa nd menvfactre. Thi elects the stability hich exited between the development of grculwre ond Invtonce ofthe economy and way of the beeing of cies, Wien cite started to gopear, the token system shows evidence of profsund change”? olution war expraed by the appearance of new hopes of oken, Hrnging to 14 the umber of types eanmenly fund. Arong them wee bicoroids, ovoid, bet cil, Wionlor, rectarglts, porbolae, shonbold, consinen ond enimel Alo, Ineted and punched mor king toned proliferating onthe face af the tokens Thare sno doubt tht these change, cxtociated a they ert withthe appaorance of urban life, were the rel ef raw seues Be Jing ploctd onthe cononie system. Aneta lization ef ober ond the growth of centralized adinsation. Both tendo Increase the This withthe development of cities ore secion umber end conplasity of butyne ranactions thu requiring a more inrzae record ke@p ing spten. Sort y ater there change in the tokens occured, orund 3900 8,C,,evelopas were Inventadin which okane coud be sved. ©) Thee envelopes conte af single tallow ly boll meh rolls thon tris ball, They provided bth a moors of halding end protecting tke ond ono @cleynrface onto which the pots invalvad i @ renocton ould impr thlspetonl sae, thereby insring apeint ony tampering with he conten of the envelope. 7) Omnis Schnonét-Bowerat,"The Envelopes that Boor the Fit Wiig, Techslopy cond Colo, val 21, No.3 (1980), 370-372 1) Vian. ronan, Jarmo Furnes, unpublished Master Thesis (Conbrie 1958), P62, 8, 38. 19) Dinise Schondh-Bewerat, "An Archote Recording Sytem inthe Usk-Jomdet Nowe Period", American ovrel of Achasology, vel. 83, Now! (979), p- 20-40, 10) Dense Schnandr-Beterat, "The Envaopes that Baar the Fat Wing, Technology ond Culvre, vl. 21, No.3 (1980), p. 257-385, ‘wipr2013 2:1 PMLISTOR: Zeitschrift fir Papyrologe und Epigraptk, Bd. 47 (1982), pp. 1-5 Inpllww stor org/stble/20183589?5eq=S&Search-yesSscarchiTex. 2oft low Wekting Cane About s [As migh wall be imagined, the opacity of clay wor asa recognized ota serious pro= bem. Once the envelope wor scled, one ha to ramenber the runber of fkens enclxed. {one's manory feild, the envelope hod to be opened ond the sel broken, This shrtea- ‘ning war quichly overcame by prtting the tokens inte the ail sf elay ofthe envelope’ ‘outer surface and then enclsing the token thanssves inthe envelope, Tht, once envelope harden, t contained the tokens thenelvr iid, ond inpresion af the tokens on the outide where they could be “read without breaking the wal, This wat the bein ning of writing. ‘Once the tokens were impreod upon the outer surface ofthe envelope, thal presence Inside the anvslop bacane wperisout, It wer nt lang before the hollow envalopes ware replace by slid tablets into which the shapes of tha ralavant tokens hod been imprsed!") The cradely imran signs ware won replaced by incined ign which were able to accura= sy ilo the exoct shape of he mt intricate tokens and ther particular markings.) oving lot the cunberime three dirersonality oftheir foken progenitor, the writen sion stared ole of heir own. Tei epeory grew o include abel ther than econox nie good end drawn fom ether source han the fken system, opening writing tall elds of human endeavour. Theft tablets derived from he envelopes boing token, This explains the choice of ly for thir manufachre ed thir 0 hope, Alo, the attract shape of the sgn along ith th rltively lege numberof sch shpes can be explained asthe caeyng over the ‘vival qualiin ofthe tokens prevouly used for record keeping, Afr ell, wing wos either © miracles ar an nstoronsous development ot It hod traditionally been anumed. Wing, the most perfec supplant to language, erga fom o mde! syst of cour tea te keap track of economic gon, Austin, Toros Denise Schnondh Benet 11) Denise Schrandh-Bewarat, "From token o tobe: a re-evelution ofthe sorclle ‘ed numerical tbat", Vaile Longoge, vel 15, No.3 (1981, forthcoming), 12} Devise Sehmondh-Bauerat,"Deciphernent of he Ealid Tblen, Sclnce , vol. 211 (9), 289-285. ‘972013 2:11PM,